guenther



(NuModlL) r B. GUENTHER, SAFETY GUARD FOR SPRING-LOOKS. Y No. 576.449. Pate'nted'Feb. 2. 1897.,

W 6 nwsm ron mr gx ,8 I a v z W 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

MAX B. GUENTHER, OF'NEYV YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY-GUARD FOR SPRING-LOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 576,449, dated February 2, 1897.

Application filed November 10,1896. Serial No. 611,618. (No model.)

To an whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, MAX B. GUENTHER, of New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Safety-Guard for Spring-Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a safety-guard for spring-locks which will offectually prevent a knife, needle, or a like implement being introduced between the doorjamb and stop-bead and forced against the latch to open the same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stop-guard for the purpose described which will be simple, durable, and economic, and which will be adjustable to doors of different thicknesses.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a safety-guard for spring-latches which may be conveniently used in connection with the keeper for the latch, and which will be of such construction that the latch cannot be opened by a knife or other instrument, even when an anger or like tool is used to produce openings leading in direction of the latch.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a door and the jamb against which the door closes, illustrating the application of the safety-guard thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section takensubstantially on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, the spring-lock being shown in plan View. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the doorjamb and stop-bead, showing the safety-guard and keeper in front elevation; and Fig. 4 is ahorizontal section taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In carrying out the invention, A represents a door; 13, a door-jamb; O, the stop-bead, which is usually secured to the door-jamb and against which the door closes, and D represents a springlock or latch which is secured to the door. The bolt of this spring lock or latch enters a keeper E, secured to the doorjamb in the usual way; but this keeper is pro vided with a face-plate 10, and in the outer surface of the said face-plate at the rear a reoess 11 is made, whereby the plate is reduced in thickness, and the recess extends from top to bottom of the plate and to the inner edge of the same.

In connection with the face-plate 10 of the keeper a guard-plate F is employed. This plate is preferably of greater length than the face-plate of the keeper. and at its outer edge the guard-plate is provided with a flange 12, which stands at right angles to the body of the guard-plate, as shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 4, and the guard-plate is provided with an extension 13 at its inner edge, preferably of the same length as the face-plate ll of the keeper, and in the back portion of the extension 13 of the guard-plate a recess 14 is made. The recessed portion of the guard-plate is adapted to engage with the recessed portion of the face-plate 10, the recesses in both plates being of such depth that the combined thickness of the two plates where they engage will be about equal to the thickness of the solid or unrecessed portions of the said plates, as shown also in Figs. 2 and 4.

The guard-plate F is attached to the doorjamb through the medium of screws 15 or their equivalents, which are passed through suitable openings in the plate near the flange 12, and near the opposite edge of the said plate openings are made for the reception of screws 16 or the like, as shown in Fig. 3.

In the recessed portion of the face-plate 10 a series of openings or apertures 17 are made, preferably near the top and near the bottom, the openings 17 in the face-plate being in horizontal alinement with the openings in the guard-plate through which the screws 16 are passed, and an opening is made between the upper and lower series of apertures in the face-plate to receive a fastening-screw 18. The face-plate and the guard-plate are fitted in a suitable recess or countersink 19, made in the door-jamb, while the flange 12 of the guard-plate is made to enter a recess in the upright portion of the stop-bead C. It is evident that the guard-plate may be adjusted on the face-plate of the keeper by bringing the openings through which the screws 16 pass in the guard-plate over any set of apertures 17 in the face-plate, and therefore the device may be readily adapted to doors of different thicknesses.

The guard-plate being placed in recesses in the stop-bead and in the door-jamb will effectually prevent the introduction of a knifeblade passed between the stop-bead and doorjalnb, so as to reach the bolt of the lock, thus effectually preventing spring-locks from be ing opened by the methods above set forth, which are common and well known to burglars and persons accustomed to gain access to premises Without the use of keys. F urthermore, the guard and face plate when applied as shown and described will prevent a needle, a knife, or other instrument from reaching the bolt of the look, even though holes be drilled in the jarnb at different angles.

When the guard-plate F is applied, it is not visible when the door is closed, and even when the stop-bead C is removed it will not be possible to introduce a knife, needle, or like implement.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A safety-guard for spring-latches, consisting of a plate adapted for attachment to a door-jamb and provided with a flange adapted for engagement with the stop-bead of the j ainb, and a keeper provided with a face-plate on which the said safety-guard is adjustable, whereby the device may be readily adapted to doors of different thicknesses, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with the keeper of a lock, the said keeper being provided with a recessed face-plate, of a guard-plate provided with a flange at one of its edges and a recessed extension at the side of the plate opposite that at which the flange is located, the said recessed extension beingadapted for engagement with the recessed portion of the faceplate of the keeper, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, with the keeper of a lock, the said keeper being provided with a face-plate projected from one of its sides, which face-plate is recessed longitudinally at the front and provided with series of apertures at each side of its center, of a safetyguard consisting of a plate provided with a flange at one of its sides, standing at a right angle to the body of the plate and provided at its opposite side with an extension recessed on the back, the said extension being adapted for engagement with the recessed portion of the face-plate of the keeper, the extension of the safety guard-plate being likewise provided with openings adapted to register with the series of openings in the face-plate of the keeper, the front and back of the keeper being in substantially the same plane as the front and the back of the guard-plate, as and for the purpose set forth.

MAX B. GUENTIIER.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN M. RUCKERT, WENZEL WENZEL. 

